Need ideas on how to test my players worth[PF]

[jinete]

Greetings playground.

Very soon I'll be starting a new campaign (my first). My group will consist of four Half Orcs (their choice :) ). So for for the first session I plan to send them to a war poised Orc tribe, where they will need to speak to the chieftain and get a quest from him. I know that this is not the most original idea, but give me a break it's my first time as a DM :)

The only reason the Orcs don't kill them on sight is because the characters have Orc blood, but that's not enough to get them to talk. So I plan to have them (one of them or as a group) take a test which will prove their worth as warriors. And I'm drawing a blank.

The only thing I can come up with is "You must fight Grok, our strongest warrior" which is kind of meh.

Any ideas?

The group is level 4,
Paladin(tank)
Ranger
Sorcerer
Unknown

[RTGoodman]

This is just begging for a "initiation quest" type challenge. It would have three or four parts, each representing something about Orc culture.

The first part is surviving and exploring a maze-like forest with no resources other than weapons and armor. (The Ranger can shine here.) They've got to find food, fight off animals, not get lost, and so on.

The next challenge, which they arrive at at the end of their forest challenge, is more intellectual... sort of. Orcs don't value book learning, but they do value cunning. So, they have to find a way inside the old ruined tower to find something important to a the tribe. Some traps if you've got a Rogue, plus some kind of magical thing for the sorcerer, whatever.

The third and last part is what Orks like best - a fight. THIS is where the party gets to fight to prove their worth. Make up a small party of orcs for them to face. If your PCs win, they're made part of the tribe.

[Miscast_Mage]

To go with the 'initiation quest' idea, two possible ideas are having the orcs send the PCs to some nearby ruins that are over-run by beasties and/or vicious traps to retrieve an object of some sort. You could say that the orcs reset the ruins every once in a while as some sort of obstacle course or 'temple of trials' for young orc warriors or new initiates into the tribe.

The second idea is sending the PCs to go claim the head of another rival tribe's leader. Save's the tribe some effort, and even if the PCs fail they'll at least harry the other tribe. If they come back with the head, they've proved themselves warriors and have taken out a rival, two birds one stone. Also, this has the benefit of the tribe not losing any of their own.

[Trekkin]

Perhaps a subversion of the traditional Orc culture is called for? I'd probably go with something akin to "you must defeat Grok, our strongest warrior...in debate," but silliness aside, perhaps they have to prove that they are more than simply capable fighters and are truly orcs.. Going with the three tests idea:

1. Some immensely complicated Orcish drill. Have them run through some complex array of stances, faux weapon strikes, and so forth, like a Form from Tae Kwon Do, only much longer. Have the Orcish equivalent of a drill sergeant constantly correct them, calling them out on every tiny mistake and frequently calling them out on the same things he praised them for earlier, apparently making up the ritual as he goes along. Of course he is; this is a twofold test of courage (to do this heretofore unknown thing in the first place) and patience (to put up with this arrant pedantry about how their weapon arm isn't out perfectly straight and their foot's a centimeter too far to the left), both of which are required for their fighting style. I'd have the PCs win when they finally snap and rant about how ridiculous it is, at which point the sergeant replies "yes. it is. You pass the Test of Wisdom," but if you're more inclined towards conventional orcs, a time limit under which they can't snap without failing would work.

2. Properly complete a ritual to Gruumsh (or whatever god they worship). They don't need to carve out their eye or anything; just send them in to the altar and give them a few minutes to RP praying or meditation. If they get the etiquette right and so forth, and don't monotone their way through it, the tribe's spiritual leader proclaims them worthy after quickly straightening up from listening at the door. The point here isn't to honor Gruumsh in exactly the right way (so the paladin can avoid falling, since the orcs' monocular patron god is CE) as much as it is to show proper respect for the orcs' spirituality and a willingness to be with them in spirit.

3. Have the tribesmen hand each of them a weapon and dress them in ceremonial battlegear or whatever inside some simple arena, then inform them that they will only take those of them who are chosen "in true Orcish fashion". Hopefully the PCs won't start swinging at each other and will instead refuse to harm their friends, at which point the chief announces they've all been chosen in true Orcish fashion: brotherhood. They are then presented, handily already in ceremonial dress, to the tribe as warriors.

Just a trifecta of at least somewhat unconventional ideas.

[jinete]

Thanks for the ideas guys. However I already have a longer quest planned for them if they can convince the Orcs to parlay. I need something that won't take longer than an hour of gameplay, two tops.

That being said I love the initiation quest idea. I just need it to be shorter and take less time to prep (I'm somewhat pressed for time)

[jinete]

Great stuff
I especially like the drill idea. I'd like to place them in some real danger though. Maybe I could modify it to deal them some damage somehow each time they make a "wrong" move.

[Trekkin]

I especially like the drill idea. I'd like to place them in some real danger though. Maybe I could modify it to deal them some damage somehow each time they make a "wrong" move.

I have a way to do that: The drill sergeant, and perhaps other orcs, starts/start swinging a poisoned sword or staff around in "precisely calculated" and "carefully timed" blows that will barely miss them if they do everything perfectly. The poison should be something that makes them itch/twitch, which of course ensures more blows as they keep taking damage and hastens their progression towards giving up.

[McSmack]

You could always have something/someone attack the villiage while the PC's are there. If they join the fight/save some NPC's they are accepted and given the quest. Though it might not get them honorary membership into the tribe, showing that you're willing to help the tribe fight their enemies, at the very least, shows you as a competent potential ally.